The Legend of Zelda Ring of Power
by GCAPDTL
Summary: One stage of Link's journey is over but another one begins. Join Link as he travels with fellowship throughout the book series as well as occurring characters from the Legend of Zelda games. Pairing for Link is already established.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Next Quest**

Epona's hooves trudged slowly across the bridge towards Ordon Village. On her back, Link took in the setting sun of twilight, feeling a certain sadness that once felt strange to him at this hour. It wasn't the sadness of his world intersecting with another as he was once told by his mentor, Rusl, but sadness of the memories he shared with Midna.

Midna had been Link's companion through all the trials he had been through to restore light to the land of Hyrule. Through their travels, Link found himself, once or twice, seeing Midna as more than just a companion. These had only been fleeting fancies, however, and he hadn't much time to think about them.

It was when the two of them parted ways that Link realized just how much she had meant to him. Her departure left him feeling as though a piece of him had left with her through the mirror to the Twilight Realm.

Link sighed quietly at the sight of the setting sun in the distance, mulling over the thoughts of what could have been. These thoughts spurred him to take a quick detour to think.

"Come on, Epona. We're not going home just yet, girl," Link said to his horse. He steered her to the waters of Ordon Spring where the faeries lived.

Epona approached the edge of the water to take a drink as Link climbed off of her back. He stood next to her, patting her side as he watched the faeries dance and flit about above the water. He stood there for several minutes, watching them, remembering. Seeing them reminded him of the black specks of darkness that drifted about during his travels in the Twilight Realm. He put his hand in his pocket and rotated the shard of darkness that Midna had slipped in there before she left, as a memento of their time together.

Link lightly shook his head to clear it of his thoughts of Midna. "I can't keep dwelling on this, girl," he said to Epona. Though she was only a horse, she seemed like the only thing he could talk to at the moment. "After all, now that the mirror's shattered I'm never going to see her again." Epona lifted her head from her drink and let out a small nicker. Hearing this was all Link needed to decide to head home. After all, there were people who were waiting for him.

The kids of the village: Beth, Colin, Malo and Talo would be overjoyed to see him back home, safe and sound.

Rusl was about to have another child, and Link didn't want to miss it's arrival for anything.

Fado? He would be completely lost without Link helping him to herd the goats. That guy lost more goats than he corralled whenever Link wasn't around.

And Ilia. Link's thoughts almost stopped when she entered his mind. Though he couldn't deny his feelings for Midna, Ilia was someone who had always been there. She was the one who Link had journeyed across the land to find. And when she had forgotten him, restoring her memory had become his foremost motive. He had cared for her during that adventure more than he ever realized. A new thought occurred to Link: Midna was unattainable, but Ilia wasn't.

With a newfound lightheartedness, Link grabbed Epona's reins to guide her back to the town. "Come on, let's go home," he said to his equine companion. They were barely at the exit from the spring when Link suddenly became aware of a strange sound.

As though from a great distance, Link heard the sounds of war cries and clashing steel as though a Great War was nearby. His lighthearted mood quickly turned to panic. Had more monsters followed him? Was there going to be another raid on the village?

Steeling himself, Link drew his sword and shield, ready for whatever was to come. He was not prepared to see the waters of Ordon spring illuminate with a brilliant golden light, however. Seeing this, Link approached the waters as Epona nervously backed away from the spring. The golden light began to darken as Link cautiously approached the center of the spring. Looking down, the water suddenly changed to show a reflection on it's surface. Not a reflection of the sky and trees, as would have been ordinary, but what Link saw was a burning village in an unfamiliar countryside. Peasants from the village were chased out by giant, brutish beasts that rode on the backs of fierce wolf-like creatures.

Link saw these beasts and immediately drew a connection to the twilight beasts that had tried to impede his progress before. Upon getting a better look at them, he saw that they were different than what he had originally fought. Their proportions were closer to that of a hylian's but their faces were cruel and vicious. Their faces were black as the night and had vicious looking scars that disfigured them. To add to their disfigured appearances, they had the most grotesque body modifications Link had seen. Their faces were covered with piercings and tattoos of a white hand.

Link watched this scene, not sure if it was real. If this was actually happening somewhere, who could stop it?

"Hero of the twilight…"

A voice called from nowhere, snapping Link's attention to looking for the source, but to no luck.

"Accept our quest…"

The words confused Link. No sooner did he finish one quest did he have to start another? What kind of deal was that? On top of it all, Link had no idea where to begin. His thoughts were interrupted when suddenly a beastly hand reached out of the water at his feet and grabbed his ankle.

Link gave a startled shout as he was suddenly dragged downward as though a hole had suddenly appeared beneath him. He tried to find a grip, hopelessly dragging his fingertips into the dirt to stop himself from being pulled in. Links attempts at stopping himself failed as his head went underwater.

After less than a second, the water was replaced with air that was thick with the smell of smoke and blood.

"Well, well. Look what we got here: some elf-scum trying to use some trick to hide like a coward," a rough voice said.

Link struggled to get his bearings. When he finally oriented himself, he found that he was greeted by the same foul creatures he saw in the water.

"Ooh, he has some shiny toys. I want it," said the other creature.

"Take what you want, but the shield's mine," the first one said.

"Oh no you don't! I want the shield!"

The second creature shoved the first. The first one shoved back, "You wouldn't even know how to use it, you rat-for-brains lout!"

Using the distraction Link recovered from the ground to a combat ready position, holding his sword and shield ready. The two creatures wasted no time getting their weapons ready and charging Link like a pair of wild animals.

Link's combat lessons flashed in his mind. His hand casually waited on hilt of his sword until the last possible fraction of a second. Just as the first creature's sword came bearing down on his face, in one fluid motion Link spun out of the way and slashed at the monster, taking off both it's head, and a part of it's arm.

Using the momentum he gained from dodging the first blow, he raised his shield to block the blow of the second creature. Though successful, the blow was powerful enough to nearly make Link buckle under it. Link realized these creatures were much stronger than they seemed. But he had faced opponents many times the size of these creatures, and he would not be bested by them.

He forcefully kicked the monster in it's stomach, making it fall on it's back. Remembering his first lesson, he jumped high into the air and brought the point of his sword down hard into the creature's neck, severing it's head as he had done to the first, and driving his sword into the ground.

Link pulled his sword from the ground, gave it a few twirls, and sheathed the sword, "There, fewer monsters to worry about now." Link said to himself.

_**Bbbbbaaaarrrr!**_

Startled by the new sound, Link whipped his head towards the direction of the sound to see another creature like the ones he just fought on a nearby hill. Unlike the others, this one was mounted on the back of a large beast that looked like a wolf, only it's shoulders were much higher and it was much larger. There was only one, so Link assumed it to be a scout. He quickly drew his bow and notched an arrow.

In less than a second, he aimed the arrow so that when it was released, it flew right into the creature's face, silencing it. His reaction was too late. No sooner did the scout die did an entire pack of riders head towards him over the hill. He knew that without a mount of his own, he wouldn't stand a chance against this number of enemies. He quickly sheathed his weapons.

"Oh no! I gotta get outta here," he said, turning to run in the other direction. As he sprinted away, he looked for a quick escape. Directly ahead of him, a short distance away, he saw a cliffside which led to a deep ravine in the mountain.

Without thinking, he ran faster to build momentum for a jump. Once he did jump, he threw his spinner under his feet, activating it when he landed. The disk beneath him came alive and took off in a burst of speed.

Link rode for almost fifty feet before the spinner began to lose momentum. "No! Not now! Damn this thing," Link cursed this contraption. It had only been useful to him for a brief time during his previous adventure. Any other time he needed to get anywhere, he just rode Epona or teleported. "Where are Epona and Midna when I need them?"

He looked over his shoulder and saw the wolf riders coming closer and closer to him. Looking ahead, he saw the ravine coming closer and closer. All he needed was a little more momentum. Just enough to carry him to the edge. The spinner slowed down, threatening to stop just short of the cliff. Link tensed up as the cliff edged closer.

Link couldn't take it any more. He reached one foot to the ground and pushed off hard, giving the spinner the extra push it needed to go over the edge of the ravine. He only barely got his balance on the spinner as it proceeded to plummet down the steep edges. Link only briefly looked back to see the furious faces of his pursuers, who had been cheated out of their prey. Link refocused his attention to what was ahead as he hooted and hollered like a madman for this escape.

As Link approached the bottom, he grew worried that he may be going too fast to slow down. His fears were well founded, as when he reached to bottom of the ravine, the spinner's edge struck the flat ground and sent Link flying. He rolled to a hard stop as he slammed his entire body on a nearby rock. Before he stopped, the shard of twilight had flown from his pocket and landed on the top of the rock that stopped him.

Consciousness left him as the shard of twilight teetered at the top of the rock. With only a small twitch forward, it fell from it's perch and landed on top of Link's left hand. The triforce in his hand briefly glowed as his body absorbed the dark stone.

After absorbing the stone, Link's body underwent a change some would call horrifying. Darkness enveloped his body and twisted and contorted his features to beastly proportions. When it was all done, the darkness burst, leaving behind not a hylian in a green tunic, but a black and white wolf with a shackle around one of it's legs and intricate patterns of fur on it's head.

Hours past as the wolf-turned hylian laid there, unconscious at the rocky bottom of the ravine. The sun disappeared over the horizon as footsteps approached Link's unconscious form. What came from the nearby shadows was a hooded figure. It looked from side to side, as though searching for something. It's eyes were soon drawn to the form of the unconscious animal. It turned to the path behind it.

"My lord, over here," the hooded figure beckoned in an unknown language, "I've found something."

The hooded figure was joined by another. This one was taller than the first, carrying an air of importance about it. It seemed to radiate the feeling of power from it's entire being as though blessed by Din herself. It examined the wolf with objectivity, sensing something unusual about it.

"This is no ordinary wolf…" the second figure muttered, sensing a power with the beast.

"Is it the being you foresaw, Lord Elrond," inquired the first. The one called Elrond carefully observed the wolf before him before answering.

"Perhaps so...What I saw in my vision was that an agent of darkness was to serve the cause of the light. This wolf though: it certainly does have an unusual feel about it. One that is similar to darkness, but somehow different. How, I am not sure."

"Then, what should we do with it?"

"As we have no leads besides this, we take it to Rivendell."

**A/N greetings everybody it's deadpool here to bring you a hot and spicy shiny and brand spanking new fan fic! im excited you should be to! be excited or die!**

**Dude, Wade, what the hell are you doing here?**

**bitch slapping these drips before the main show! hey who wants to hear me play the 1812 overture with my armpit!?**

**Wade, you see the chimichanga? You see it? Go get it.**

**CHIMICHANGAS! I LOVE MY CHIMICHANGAAAAAAAS!**

**Now that the jackass parade is over, why don't we say what we came here to say? This is our new fanfic that just came out of left field from our Devil May Cry X Black Lagoon project, and please read and review (you're feedback is important) and flamers: you will be thrown into the evil fires that forged you. Unless you have a good point to make. Good points don't include your personal disdain for either series. Have fun.**

**en taro adun!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N **** Greeting Readers! I Hope you enjoyed the last chapter! My co-writter and i had fun writing this and now Heres Chapter 2!**

**Oh yea here are my replies to the reviews so far.**

**_Shadows of Twilight_****_: _****Thanks a lot! It means a lot to us i do hope you continue to enjoy our work.**

**Chapter 2: Hero's Shade**

First came the scent of fabrics. Then came the feeling of a familiar warmth and softness of a mattress. Then came the sound of muffled, indistinct voices. Link's senses gradually returned to him as he tried to determine the layout of where he was. The fact that he was in a bed was obvious to him, but what seemed unusual was the other things he smelled and heard.

Nearby, there was a river and trees. Flowers were present as well, seemingly all around him. The scents of nature almost covered up the scents of the owner's of the voices in the room. Link tried his best to discern what they were saying, but he could only pick up various shreds of the sentences through his grogginess.

"We don't know...power it has... if it will help us…"

"...darkness, but is not darkness…help us, I cannot say…"

"But...danger! It may not...destroy us all!

"We will learn in time…"

This was all Link could hear before his resolve to stay awake waned. Link was determined to learn more about his surroundings, so fighting it, he struggled to open one eye. All he managed to do was open it by just a crack. What he briefly saw was a small nightstand, and a red haired girl about his own age, placing a bowl on it. But he did not see the other two who were talking. What little strength he had was spent the effort to open his eyes. Soon they were shut again and he drifted back into a dreamless sleep.

Through the black veil of sleep, a dot of gold appeared. At first, it only appeared faintly, and disappeared as though only a phantom light on a foggy night. Then the light appeared again, lasting longer now, and growing closer. Through the black fog, a form could almost be seen, though not by any means a hylian form. This form was smaller, yet somehow fiercer. It's form faded again.

"Hero of twilight…."

The formless, gold light appeared again. Closer now, yet still indistinct. Only now, there could be seen a malevolent red light where one of it's eyes should have been.

"It's time. You must come to me now."

Link awoke from his sleep. It was the dead of night now. No living thing stirred. His strength had returned to him, and he used it to properly examine his room. He saw that it was small, with only the bed he was in, a chair (presumably for visitors) and the small nightstand with the bowl on it, which, upon investigation, was full of water.

Link shuffled over the the edge of the bed and drank from the bowl. He drank as a wolf before, but he never got the hang of using his tongue to drink. He drank until he was satisfied and turned his attention to the view outside his window.

Though the view was gorgeous, Link could only notice a gold dot in the distance outside one of his windows.

Rolling out of bed proved more difficult than Link had anticipated. Despite his strength returning, Link's muscles felt stiff and rigid. Link put his four paws on the ground, stretching the stiffness from his body. He then approached the window and hopped through it into the garden just outside. Link took a moment to examine this new outside area. The smells of nature were everywhere he could determine. It was almost as if this city and the Faron Woods near his home village were merged into one.

There were buildings made of fine stone, carved with intricate designs in their architecture. The city itself was built into a bay overlooking the ocean, with a river running right through the middle of it. On the far side of the bay, Link could see the faint glow of his destination. He traversed the city, taking in the sights as he went. The people who lived here were clearly very in tune with the natural world around them.

Link silently passed through a few streets, never once seeing a patrol of any kind. Neither did he hear or smell them. It was as if the city had become bereft of any life during his sleep. This was odd to Link. Shouldn't a city this big have some kind of night patrol?

He approached a flight of stairs, which led to a gazebo that overlooked the ocean view. Climbing to the top of the stairs that led to what Link could guess was a meeting place of some sort. A fitting place, for what Link met there was a golden wolf with one red eye.

The golden wolf sat there, staring at Link, appraising him. Link wasn't about to be fooled by the wolf's passive facade and he lowered his stance, baring his teeth. The golden wolf followed suit and the two predators lunged at one another.

Blackness overcame Link again, only this time it lasted about a second before he awoke to find himself in a dreary, gray nothingness with only himself and the golden wolf inhabiting it. He sat down, the golden wolf howled loudly, flashing brightly and then taking the form of a bronze-clad skeleton with one red eye glaring out from the darkness of the socket. Link recognized this form as The Hero's Shade.

"We meet again, Hero of Twilight," the voice came from all around Link. "Through your travels, I have taught you all I knew about the art of swordplay. But I have not taught you everything."

Link wanted to ask what it was that he was lacking, but being a wolf, he could only cock his head to the side and lightly growl in questioning.

"Hero, you inhabit two forms, and you must learn the secrets of them both. You have mastered the form of a swordsman, but now you must master the form of a beast," the skeleton called The Hero's Shade told him. Link nodded in affirmation. He wondered why he never learned any new skills for his wolf form during his first adventure, as surely they would have been a big help to him. He often thought about learning more combat techniques as a wolf that would allow him to dispatch enemies as easily as his sword techniques.

"The first beast technique I shall teach you is called 'Dark Extraction.' Let it be hewn into your mind."

Link took his place across from his master as he divulged the secrets of ancient times. "There is a power that keeps you in your beast form, but unless you have someone with you familiar with this magic, it will remain; and you will never turn back into a hylian."

Link's ears drooped slightly at the idea of never turning back into a hylian. Granted the wolf body had it's perks, but it was like being away from home in a faraway land.

"This technique is done by focusing your mind deep into your very soul. This is where you will find this magic that changes you. Once you have located it, concentrate your power and pull the darkness from your body."

Focus your mind into your soul? Concentrate your power? What did any of that mean? Link would have called the skeleton crazy if he could talk. But The Hero's Shade had never led him wrong before, so what reason did he have to doubt him now?

"Are you ready? Then show me this technique."

Link closed his eyes and tried to focus on the dark magic inside of him.

"Concentrate, Hero of Twilight."

Nothing came to him. All he could think about was how vague and absurd this lesson was.

"Concentrate…"

The hollow voice of The Hero's Shade faded away. Link was alone now. Alone with only his thoughts. He focused hard on the magic that changed him. Still nothing came to him. Then a glimmer of red. The single glimmer was soon followed by others. Afterward, a whole intricate pattern of red and black appeared in Link's mind.

Shining with it's malevolent lights, Link could now clearly see the magic within him. Link concentrated his willpower deep into himself, imagining one of Zant's giant, disembodied hands grabbing it all in an iron grasp and pulling hard. He felt something, as if some immaterial part of himself was just moved. Link concentrated harder, and felt like the immaterial part was suddenly whooshing outwards like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.

Link's eyes shot open. He shook his head, and looked at his hands. His hands?! He had done it! Link had just extracted the shard of darkness from within his own body on his own. An excited smile spread across Link's face.

"Well done."

Link turned to face his master excitement plastered on his face.

" The Hero's Shade stared at his student. "The beast technique 'Dark Extraction' has been passed on. May we meet again."

"Yeah, I think I'd like that," Link said as the skeleton faded from existence, along with the world around him.

Link awoke back in the gazebo, feeling no worse for wear. He saw the shard of darkness lying before him and picked it up before standing. He briefly examined the shard, remembering how Midna would sometimes tease him by refusing to change him back to a hylian sometimes during their travels. Now the power of twilight was his to control. Link celebrated with a short fist pump before he became aware of a presence behind him.

"So, that's it," came a voice. Link turned to see the girl who was placing the bowl of water on his nightstand back in his room. She quickly stepped closer to Link, smiling. "This is why Lord Elrond said you weren't an ordinary wolf. You were an elf under a spell." Suddenly, the girl's smile widened, "You're the Ara-Draug reborn!"

"I'm the what," Link thought to himself. What did that mean? Sure he was able to figure out the vague and confusing lesson he just got from The Hero's Shade, but it seemed that this girl was speaking a completely different language. This was nothing compared to what happened next. Suddenly, the girl kneeled and bowed her head to him.

"(Harani a'hakelah de'shanuay.)"

Now it was clear that she was speaking a different language. Looking down at the girl, Link awkwardly touched her shoulder, making her jump slightly. She looked up at Link, as though she had done something wrong, broken some sort of rule. Link's heart sank a little when he saw her face, so he helped her to her feet to try and cheer her up. Link rubbed the back of his neck as he began speaking.

"Listen," he began. The girl watched him intently as if expecting something to happen, "I wish she'd stop looking at me like that," Link thought before speaking, "I don't know who you think I am, but I'm definitely not someone worth bowing to." Link thought this statement to be a little self-deprecating. After all, how many people had saved two worlds and defeated the king of the Gerudo, who was also the vessel of power while still in their teens?

"But...then who could you be," the girl's face changed to one of confusion and disappointment. This new face made Link feel like he had just crushed someone's hopes. Why did she have to keep doing this? "I just don't think you could be anyone else. You can go between elf and wolf, just like the Ara-Draug in the lores of old!"

"Sorry, but I'm a stranger here. I don't know what lore you're talking about. Sorry," Link said, only deepening his feelings of awkwardness. "And uh...it's not really my own power that changes me into a wolf."

The girl seemed further confused by this statement, "What do you mean 'not your own power?'" The girl was intrigued to know more about this strange boy who suddenly appeared in their city. Link held out the shard of darkness for the girl to see.

"This," Link said simply. He expected a follow-up question about what it was, or how it had changed him. What happened instead was the girl's eyes went wide with horror and gasped sharply as she took a small step back, her hands covering her mouth, keeping her from screaming.

"That-that's a dark magic you have with you," her voice shuddered. "You're an ally of darkness, aren't you!?"

Her fear confused Link. He looked at the shard before he talked to her, "I don't understand what's so bad about darkness. Where I'm from, the two coexist nicely."

The girl stopped recoiling so much, though she was still hesitant to approach him again, "Are you saying that where you're from, both are needed for one another," she timidly asked him.

"Well, yes. I guess you could say that they kind of sustain each other," Link told her. Suddenly, Princess Zelda's words came to him. The words she spoke while she and Link said their goodbyes to Midna, "A friend told me that light and dark are two sides of the same coin. What she meant was that without one, you can't have the other."

A short silence followed as the girl registered what Link had just told her. Link was relieved to see that she was calming down from the initial shock of the shard of darkness. Seeing this, Link decided to tell her more about coexisting with darkness, "In fact, someone I cared about was a being of darkness."

Link's words seemed to get through to the girl. She took a step closer to him and slowly reached out for the black shard, wanting to touch it, but fearing it's power.

"Don't worry, it's safe to touch," he assured the cautious elf. She resumed her attempt to touch the shard, and did, ever so softly with only the tip of her finger. When nothing happened, she ran the rest of her fingers across it's surface before taking it from Link to more closely examine it. It was surprisingly smooth, despite it's rough look, and cold to the touch as if it had just been taken from the bottom of a river. She noticed the intricate patterns of red that shimmered dully on the surface. It was as if she was holding a concentrated piece of some great darkness, like the night sky or a deep cavern. It made her shudder to think about that.

"I've never seen anything like this," she said softly as she turned the shard in her hand, examining it. The fear on her face was still evident, but also there was a look of curiosity of the shard she was holding in her eyes. This look made Link feel slightly better when he saw it and brought his own hand to the shard.

"It's not a very common form of magic, even back home," he said to her, now looking her in the eye. This was the first time that Link was able to actually get a look at her since he met her. Immediately, Link found that her most striking feature was her face, gentle and innocent as though unaware of the terrors beyond this city. Suddenly, Link realized why she made him so uncomfortable: she almost reminded him of Ilia. She would have completely recalled Link's childhood friend, if not for the shocking red hair. Her hair, Link thought it to be a color of an autumn leaf, colors softly blending between many shades of red. It along with the gentleness of her face, almost gave off a feeling of serenity and relaxation for him, putting him at ease from the earlier awkwardness. This feeling of ease lasted even after he noticed that the hands were touching.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Link said to her as he took the shard of darkness from her hand, "I didn't mean to make this any more uncomfortable than it was."

"It's okay. I think it was an honor to meet you, even if you actually aren't the Ara-Draug," she said with a hint of a smile and a small blush, which was hidden by her hair. What she didn't mention was that Link's touch filled her body a kind of warmth that she had never felt before. Though she didn't understand it, she enjoyed the sensation it gave her.

Link couldn't help but notice the blush that appeared on her face. The first thing that occurred to Link when he saw it was just how adorable she was when she did that. "Ah, come on Link, snap out of it," he chastised himself. He had already set his mind on Ilia and now here he was with some strange girl he knew nothing about. He got his mind out of the gutter and decided it would be best to ask her for any help she could offer. "Hey, do you think you could take me to whoever's in charge around here?"

"Huh," she was startled out of her daze with this statement before it clicked on what he said. "Oh, that would be Lord Elrond. He is our ruler, and the one who brought you here, along with my mother." The young girl took Link's arm to lead him down the steps, "Follow me. I'll take you to him. He's usually in the foyer this time of night."

Link, a little surprised by her eagerness for him to follow by grabbing, gave a startled yelp as he was suddenly yanked from his stance. But he did follow her, after he regained his footing, and she let go of him as soon as it was evident that he would follow her eager pace to introduce him to the lord of Rivendel.

"Are you sure this is a good idea right now" Link questioned her and she gave him a confused look "I mean, it is kinda late."

"Don't worry, he won't mind seeing you at this hour," she said, matter-of-factly. Link only shook his head at her.

"That's not exactly what I meant," he replied. The rest of the trip to Lord Elrond was passed in silence. Link was occupied by the architecture of the whole place. He had seen a great deal of it as a wolf, but even now he was still amazed by the marble columns and intricate carvings in the walls and the statues that they passed. It seemed very much like the Temple of Time to him. Just without any giant spiders that wanted him dead. Sometimes, he would glance over at the girl and catch her glancing back. At which point she would turn away and giggle. This only further served to make Link uncomfortable, but not in a way he hated.

After what seemed like a very long time, the two entered a large, open room with many columns. In the room, pacing back and forth, as though deep in contemplation, was a tall man with long brown hair with a posture that radiated wisdom like he was blessed by Nayru Herself. In one hand, he held an open book which he seemed to be reading intently. He stopped his shuffling steps and closed the book when he noticed the two children in the archway leading to the room.

"Ah," he said with a hint of a smirk, "So you've come, finally," he said as he set the book down on the nearby table.

_**To Be Continued...**_

**Well? What did ya think? Please read and review on how it is so far. Should we write a authors note on Aravel our OC?**

**See ya next time!**

**En Taro Adun!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:I apologize for my tardiness but real life isn't being to kind to me lately. I do hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**Chapter 3: Lores and Legends**

"Was I expected," Link asked the tall man, who he assumed to be Lord Elrond. Link saw Elrond shift his gaze skyward before he replied.

"I foresaw your coming," he said, his eyes darting between stars as if he were reading something in the sky, "Although I did not expect to find you as a black beast." Link was confused by Elrond's words. He said that he foresaw his arrival in this city. Was he like a sage, or an oracle maybe? Elrond then turned his gaze to the girl next to Link, "Aravel, you should return to your home. I'm sure that your mother would be worried to find your bed empty at this hour."

"So, her name's Aravel," Link thought to himself, "Wish I thought about asking her myself...Ilia," he finished his thought with a stern admonishment.

"I was just going to see if the wolf was alright," Aravel said, trying to explain her late night wanderings. Elrond simply dismissed the issue with a small wave of his hand.

"It's perfectly understandable. Go home now," Elrond gently dismissed her. Aravel took a step backwards with a polite bow before leaving the room. As soon as she reached the door, she turned to take one last look at the two men, curious as to what may occur between them. Then she disappeared down the marble lined paths of the city.

After Link watched Aravel leave, he turned back to address Lord Elrond, "How did you know I was coming," he asked, "Did Nayru come to you in your in your dreams?"

Elrond shook his head as he walked more closely to Link, "I do not know this 'Nayru' of which you speak. How I knew of your arrival is inconsequential, but please tell me: just how did you find your way here?"

"I fell down a gorge, if that's what you mean," Link said, trying to keep his story succinct. He knew he was never much of a storyteller, and he hoped that this would satisfy the man's curiosity. It did not, however.

"I mean, how did you get here...in this realm. Though you are similar to an elf, it's clear that you are not."

"You mean that you aren't Hylian?"

Elrond nodded, "Precisely." Link figured that he had better give him the whole story. He tried to think of a way that wouldn't sound completely insane to him, since he wasn't so sure how often things like this happened to others. He began the story at his arrival at the Ordon Spring, and proceeded to describe the events from his sudden abduction and the fight with the two brutish creatures, all the way to his meeting with Aravel.

"I see. But that still does not explain why you were a wolf up until now," Elrond said, his curiosity still not satisfied. "If you could elucidate that point, I'd be very grateful."

Link hesitated at first, remembering Aravel's reaction to his Shard of Darkness. But it wasn't like he had any reason not to. And the Shard itself was completely harmless. Link produced the Shard from his pocket. Though it was nearly unnoticeable, Elrond frowned slightly as soon as he saw the object. This was the darkness that he sensed in the wolf. Although it was a darkness different from the kind that he knew. It just didn't seem evil. It was this that made him curious about the trinket Link carried.

"Exactly what is that object of yours," Elrond asked as he arched an eyebrow. Link wondered just how he could explain this to the man. Link decided to make a long story short and summarize what had happened between him, Midna and Zant.

"It started out as a kind of spell I was under," Link began, not knowing if that was really an accurate description of his situation at the time. Elrond's puzzled look told Link that he should elaborate just how this had happened, "I was helping a friend of mine fight against her enemy, and he tried to stop us by trapping me in the form of a wolf and fatally wounding her." Link internally recoiled at the memory.

He remembered how at the time, he and Midna would fight and bicker, trading verbal jabs the whole time during their travels. Even though they weren't the best of friends, as soon as Link found the dying imp on the ground, his instincts forced him to save her. "And what happened next," Link was snapped out of his thought by Elrond's sudden inquiry.

"Oh!...Sorry for trailing off like that," he apologized before continuing, "I got her to someone who could help, and she survived after that. Then we set to extracting the magic from my body."

Elrond was about to ask just how that happened, but Link drew the sword off his back and presented the hilt to him. "I used this to change back. The source of all light in our world to vanquish the evil plaguing us. I was chosen to wield this magnificent sword called the Master Sword."

"The light of the sword was what banished the darkness inside you," Elrond said, his eyes trailing up and down the sword.

"Yes. And since then, I've been able to use this to change from hylian to wolf at will," though not exactly, Link thought to himself, remembering how he needed Midna's help to extract it from him as needed. He also recalled the sudden change in Midna at that time, and how she blushed and sputtered when he pointed that out. Link smiled as he thought about that moment.

"A fond memory, I assume," Elrond interrupted again.

"Dammit, I keep getting off track," Link thought as he cursed his short attention span and sheathed his sword. "I hope I answered your question."

"Well enough," Elrond said, "Now, I assume that you have some questions of your own?" Before Link could start, Elrond answered the obvious first question he would have, "To begin: this is Rivendell. The city of the elves, and last homely house."

Link was taken slightly aback by having his question answered before he could ask, but thanked him anyway for his clear and direct answer. Also, a homely house? That sounded a bit redundant, but there was probably a reason for the name. Link decided to ask his next question that came to mind.

"I was called the Ara-Draug earlier. Do you know what that means?"

Ara-Draug was a name that Elrond had not heard in a while, not since his little disciple Aravel became fascinated by that legend. He sat down at the across from Link and gestured for the green-clad hero to join him at the table. His hand resting on the large tome he had when Link and Aravel arrived.

The cover of the book was old and weathered as though it were centuries old. He could see the title written at the top of the book, but in an alphabet that he couldn't decipher. Once Elrond opened the book, another mystery was presented to him. The man in the book looked just like he did. Only he was older and had a beard.

"Wha?! That looks like..."

"You? Of course," Elrond said very matter-of-factly, "He was the one who wrote this. The first one to be known as Ara-Draug."

Link was dumbfounded by this. Someone before him was called the same title that Aravel had given him, and on top of it all, he looked just like him. "Who is the Ara-Draug? And why do I look like him?"

Elrond flipped through the pages of the book until he found what he was looking for. He stopped at a page that showed a picture of another person who looked like Link, only they seemed to be more the same age this time, and he was fighting a great, black demon with flaming red hair. The said demon towered the lookalike by a couple of feet, it's massive frame radiated power and fearlessness to his opponent.

"It is said that the Ara-Draug came to us from another world," Elrond began, "When a Hero known as the Hero of Skies went to the distant past to defeat a terrible demon who had been resurrected. Unknown to him, his actions created an alternate timeline where this monster never existed and it's history was altered because of it."

Link tried to take in what Elrond was saying, but it didn't seem to make any sense. He heard the legends of the Hero of Skies, but he had never heard anything about an alternate timeline that had been created by him. Link waited intently to hear more of what Elrond had to say.

"When the hero from that timeline was a young man (no older than you, I might add) it seemed that he had found his way into our realm of Middle-Earth, during a time of great conflict no less." Elrond turned the pages until he found another picture, this one depicting the first Ara-Draug standing against a sky of twilight. With him was a being that Link didn't quite recognize at first, but upon closer inspection, he realized that it was a Twili in the picture with him.

"It was during this conflict that Ara-Draug was granted power by another otherworldly interloper. It was a dark power that granted him the form and power of a beast in a way that rivalled a similar shape changer named Beorn."

Elrond started flipping through the pages of the book, showing more incarnations of the Ara-Draug, each one bearing a striking similarity to Link.

"The Ara-Draug lived on in several lifetimes, opposing the forces of darkness to serve the light," Elrond stopped at a page where Link saw that this incarnation of Ara-Draug was missing an eye and wearing a familiar gold armor. He said nothing, but the look on his face told Elrond that something had just clicked in Link's mind. Elrond continued his reading.

"I personally fought beside him once. During the battle where the Dark Lord Sauron was defeated," Elrond suddenly scowled, "And the hearts of men failed…" Link was curious as to what he meant, but Elrond's voice carried a tone of dismay that told Link he should refrain from asking. His silence signalled Elrond to continue, "It was during this time that the Ara-Draug drew upon another power."

"It seemed that the demon that was defeated those millennia ago was sealed into his sword, as was the spirit of the demon's own blade. The demon was too powerful to release, so what was drawn was the essence of the sword spirit." Elrond turned the page to show a picture of a pale face that held a cruel, smug grin. Half of the face was covered with it's white hair. Superimposed over the picture was another face, one with similarly white hair, but this one had red lines under it's eyes. "It's essence was forged by the elves into a mask of power that would grant the user the power of a god. It was this power that helped to drive back the dark forces of Sauron, but it also had a terrible hold on the wearer."

"As the battle wore on, the mask drove the Ara-Draug to madness. As he laid waste to the foul creatures of Mordor he turned his attention to us just as the battle ended. But before he harmed any of us, he succumbed to the wounds he suffered on the battlefield."

"As he knelt, dying, a strange man with a large knapsack appeared and played a strange tune that seemed to restore his senses for a moment. A serenity seemed to wash over him, as though his anger and hate was melting into the song playing. Soon I witnessed his body fade from existence until all that was left was the mask that granted his terrible power."

"The man with the knapsack collected the mask and disappeared as suddenly as he arrived. Who he was, I cannot say, but he seemed to have business with that mask, so I left him be. It was then that I left to take care of the matter of…"

Elrond paused, unsure of how to continue. It seemed as though he were remembering something that grieved him, "...Well, that does not matter either. But from what I could sense that day, it seemed that the spirit of the Ara-Draug was sealed away in that mask for what seemed like an eternity. That is: until you arrived."

"Me?! Okay, hang on! I am not the Ara-Draug," Link said now suddenly anxious to end the conversation, because he knew exactly what was coming. He was going to be thrust into a prophetic destiny that would save the world against his will and there was nothing he would be able to do about it. "I'm a total stranger here. I don't even know who Sauron is!"

As Link looked down in despair, he suddenly felt Elrond's hand on his shoulder. There was something about his touch that seemed gentle and reassuring as if he were worrying over nothing.

"What you say is true: you are not the Ara-Draug," Elrond assured the boy, "But it cannot be denied that you carry his spirit with you." He took his hand off of Link's shoulder, and walked to the door stopping to motion for Link to follow. "There are some more things that I feel obligated to show you about Middle-Earth that you may want to see."

Link got up from his seat and followed Elrond out the door. They passed through a only a few hallways this time. During the short time, Link found that he could never cease to be fascinated by the art-like architecture of the place. The way they seemed to work nature into their building structure was particularly wondrous to him. It just gave him an even more familiar feeling with the Faron Woods and his own home village of Ordon.

When the two reached their destination, Link found that it was an altar of some sort. Nearby there was a picture of a man, who Link was almost relieved to see did not look anything like him. Though in the picture the man wasn't faring much better because in the painting with him was an imposing figure in black armor, towering the man as he was on his back. The man was holding a broken sword in one hand as if to futilely attempt to fend off the heavily armoured individual.

To the left of the painting, on the altar was a broken sword, which Link assumed to be the one from the painting, or at least a replica of some sort.

Elrond walked up to the altar and turned his head to Link, "The shards of Narsil, the blade that removed the One Ring from the Dark Lord Sauron's hand which ended the enemy of Middle-earth. A magnificent blade that I had the honor of forging for the King before he fell to Sauron."

As he explained that to Link, the Hero could see that this was bringing up painful memories of that day. "Before I explain more of the Ara-Draug I must tell you the story of the One Ring." He motioned for Link to sit on the steps on the other side of the altar, to which the hero complied.

"In the beginning, there was a great elf named Celebrimbor, who's crafting skills knew no bounds. He created the great rings as a way to unite the races of Middle earth.

Three Rings for the Elves, fairest and wisest of all beings

Seven for the Dwarf-lords, great miners and crafters in their halls in the mountains.

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to their greed for power took the rings without they were all deceived for another ring was made,

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie a ring was made to bend the great leaders to his will. In this ring the Dark Lord Sauron poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to rule all life.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

One after another, free kingdoms of Middle-Earth were razed to the ground, but not all were as helpless. A large alliance of men and elves marched upon the armies of Mordor, there we fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth. I was leading the elves while we started the attack at the bottom of Mount Doom.

We were vastly outnumbered by the forces of darkness, orcs and goblins charging to drive us back from the foothills of the mountain. During the battle, we could not falter with the fate of all of Middle-Earth rested on our shoulders. Our swords were outnumbered by the black steel of Mordor. Our archers were

After Isildur dealt the killing blow, and the strange man with the knapsack disappeared, I took the young king to the summit of Mt. Doom to destroy the greatest threat that had ever existed in Middle-Earth once and for all.

Link sat in anticipation, waiting to hear how the story ended. He leaned forward to the edge of his seat as he wrung his hands. "What happened?! Did he destroy it?!"

What he saw though, was how Elrond's hands tightened behind his back as he hung his head. Elrond turned to face Link, and the boy's heart sank when he saw his face. Etched into his features was a burden of sadness and regret. Link knew that he would not like how the story ended."No..."

Elrond continued the story, "Isildur...did not have the resolve to do what was necessary," he said quietly.

"What happened to the ring then?"

"Isildur kept the ring as his own...For a time at least."

Link wanted to ask what the man meant, but he could guess just what would have happened when someone possessed an object of such power. Link himself was sought out once for being the bearer of a piece of the Triforce. Link shuddered at the memory.

"Isildur was hunted by Sauron's forces. He was slain in an attack by orcs, who savagely ambushed him. From what I have gathered through the passage of time, the ring was lost until it became nothing more than a myth."

Link felt a rush of relief. He sat back, feeling like that story could have an infinite number of bad endings. He let out a contented sigh, getting Elrond's attention.

"I'm afraid that the story does not end there," he told Link. Link paused in disbelief.

"What," Link asked as he leaned forward once more, "What happened after that?"

Elrond turned to face the sky again, his eyes once more darting between indistinct points in the sky. He didn't turn to face Link as he seemed to read some indistinct script in the stars, "I cannot say, but what happens next is only decided by the will of fate."

Link's mind nearly snapped when he heard this. This was the reason why he had been summoned here. He was fated once more to be the savior of an entire world, just after saving his own and the world of twilight. Link slumped as he realized his burden.

"I suppose as the Ara-Draug, I have to be the one to finish this story?"

"No," came the simple reply from Elrond, "You don't have to do anything if you don't want to." Elrond stepped over to Link and looked down on him. Link couldn't help but feel reassured once again by the man, "Whether or not you play a role in the story of the One Ring is entirely up to you." Elrond extended his hand for Link, which Link accepted, and helped him to his feet, "But for now, you should return to your room. It is getting late."

Only now did Link become aware of the late hour, and despite his long bout with unconsciousness, he still felt weary and disturbed by the recent events. "I guess rest would be the best thing for right now," Link said drearily.

"Please, follow me. I will escort you to your room. My home is only a short distance from yours,"Elrond spoke to our long eared friend, Link.

"Thats alright," Link said, appreciatively, "I know it's my first time here, but I've always had a pretty strong sense of direction. I can see my own way there. Thank you for the offer though Lord Elrond." With a dismissive nod, Elrond allowed Link to leave on his own with a bow of respect shown to Elrond, he left the room. As the boy left, Elrond had a sense of unease, though he couldn't quite place why. He decided to continue his nightly pondering to discern the reasons for this.

Link walked to his room, his head filled with utter bewilderment at his predicament. He had no way of knowing for sure, but it didn't seem very often that one would get sent to a foreign land and learned they may be the reincarnation of a fabled hero. Link's head began to hurt from just thinking about it.

He found his way back to the room the way he had gone: by going through the flower garden and through the window back into his bed. Normally Link would not do this because he was used to sleeping under the stars where was colder, but now with a warm bed of his own, he removed his boots, tunic, and hat, then proceeded to place them on the floor next to the bed. He crawled under the covers, and he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

**And done! I'm just letting you know that the real fighting and stuff will be coming up soon... Please have patience, I promise i wont fail you guys!**

**En Taro Adun!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Yay! Chapter 4 is here! Loving the positive feedback you guys! This chapter is the final bit of storytime before we get to the real fun. I'm very excited and I do hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 4**

The birds were chirping, the sun was barely coming up over the hills as its beautiful rays pierced through the windows. It was only out of habit that Link woke up this early. Back home, he had to so he could get to work at the ranch, but here, he was a guest of the House of Elrond. Link continued to lay in bed, stretching his tired muscles, and continued to lay there, resolving to only get out if he was needed for anything. He felt like he deserved a rest after what he'd been through.

But sleeping in would have to wait. Link heard a knock at the door, and then a woman's voice from the other side call out, "My lord Ara-Draug are you awake?"

Link grumbled when he heard the name. He knew that he wasn't their legendary Ara-Draug, but called out nonetheless, figuring that this was simply how the people here knew him. Wait a second: they knew of him being here already? The only people he actually met were Elrond and Aravel, and he didn't recognize the woman's voice as Aravel's. "Yes? Who is it," he asked slightly suspiciously.

"Alya, my lord. Lord Elrond has asked me to wake you and bring you a fresh set of clothing." The now identified voice of Alya said.

Link groaned quietly, all he wanted was a few extra hours of rest, but as a courtesy to the woman waiting for him, he walked to the door and opened it to the sight of Alya. She was a pretty brunette, slightly taller than he was, wearing a simple dress and yet elegant to the appearance of the elf. She was about to say something but the words got lost as she gazed at Link's ripped upper body and handsome face that gave off a feral look that would make any female blush at the sight. Another thing that caught her attention were all the scars scattered around his upper torso, showing that he was no stranger to a fight. Some looked like they came from sword strikes or other weapons, others looked like claw and bite marks from wild animals.

A huge blush appeared on her face as she looked over Link's bare torso. "Umm…. My lord.. could you put on a shirt please," asked the red-faced Alya, who couldn't help but stare at his ripped chest.

Link was confused at first, until he looked down and became a wee bit embarrassed when he realized that he was half naked. "Sorry, hold on a minute." he apologized with his hand rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, and quickly closed the door with the other. After a minute, he opened the door again, this time fully dressed with a hint of red still on his face.

By the time he opened the door, Alya recomposed herself and acted like it didn't happen, even though she had her own visible red tint. She looked at him and extended her arms with the new clothes for Link in her hands. He thanked her, and she remembered something else she was supposed to tell him, but the sight of his naked upper torso gave her temporary amnesia.

"I almost forgot to tell you: Lord Elrond invited you for morning tea and breakfast in the gardens. Shall I wait for you and escort you after you change to those new clothes?" Alya said to him.

Link thought about it for a second then replied, "That would be nice Alya. Please come in and have a seat while I go change." Alya accepted the offer and took her seat on the bed as she waited for Link.

"Aravel wasn't kidding she she said he was sight to behold," she thought to herself. "Could it really be true that he's the Ara-Draug?" She had her doubts about this, as the Ara-Draug was something that had been lost to history. Then again, he did have that feral quality about him. Maybe it was all the scars on his body. "I wonder where he got all those scars." It was a little worrying, knowing that he would have to have been in several battles to sustain that many injuries. Still, it gave him a rugged look that was easy on the eyes. "Wait till the others hear about this."

While Alya's mind wandered about a certain blonde, Link was in the spare room getting into his new clothes. He looked at each one before putting it on, starting with a new pair of trousers he'd been given. They were loose, baggy, and a tannish color, making them look like the trousers soldiers wore back at his home.

The next thing he put on was a black, sleeveless tunic almost like the one he was given by the Light Spirit, Ordona, but the difference on this tunic was the leather straps on the sides of it holding it together. "Not bad," Link thought as he looked it over. The color was a nice change of pace from the usual green he wore over his white long sleeve shirt.

Speaking of green: the next article of clothing Link found in the pile was a dark green long coat with a slit in the middle of the back from the ankle to the top of his legs. He'd seen some horsemen wear coats like this back home, and found it fitting given his affinity for equestrianism. The part that really piqued Link's interest was the pattern that traveled up the back of it. It had a slash mark design traveling around the edge of the coat and a snarling wolf in the middle.

He put all of these on and looked at himself in the mirror hanging on the wall, and couldn't help but smile. "Hmm.. Not bad," Link thought straightening the coat out, he wondered what Ilia would think if she saw him come back into town like this. Sure, the green tunic was something worn by a hero of old, but that was just the thing about it: it was so old fashioned and unappealing, even to himself. But this: this was what an adventurer wore. Then again, adventurers could wear just about anything. Even a cap and overalls were acceptable when it came to the adventuring business. Just not the tunic, because that thing was filthy.

Link exited the room in his new clothes to find Alya still waiting for him on the bed. "Okay, I'm all set," Link informed her so that they could go find Lord Elrond.

Alya turned to look at Link as he walked in. "By the Valar, he looks like a divine being in those clothes." she thought, trying not to drop her jaw to keep her composure. His new clothing gave him an aristocratic look, yet made him seem like a warrior at the same time. His face was stoic giving the feeling of power radiating off of him, making him desirable to the young elf.

Shaking herself out of her stupor she got up, her face noticeably redder than before. She quickly motioned Link to follow, confusing him why as to why she was acting like this. After Link put his boots on, he followed her out the door.

They took a walk through a part of the city that Link hadn't seen yet. It was made of brilliant marble like the rest of the city, but there were certain landmarks he hadn't seen before. Also, there were people who were walking about at this hour. Link noticed that they shared similar features: tall and long-haired with pointed ears. They even dressed similarly, he noticed. All of them seemed to wear the same kind of light, wavy robes that flowed around them as they walked.

Link realized how out of place he looked in his attire when he noticed how some of the people watched him pass by. But he noticed how none of them were malicious stares. It seemed that they simply thought him a foreigner amongst them, and beared no ill will. It unnerved him how he was receiving these stares from the other elves but he remembered that he greatly resembled a well known hero of their past. walking through their halls to where Elrond is residing.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" Link asked Alya who had walked a few steps ahead of him as he took in the stranger's gazes.

"You are Lord Ara-Draug, the living lore standing before us," Alya answered as she grabbed Link's arm and pulled him forward so that he walked in step with her, "I feel honored being given the chance to show you to the gardens."

"About that: why does he want to see me so early in the morning," he wondered. He didn't tell Elrond everything last night, and it seemed to him that the man was eager to learn more about him, and where he came from.

"I don't know exactly why he wishes to see you," Alya confessed, "But he always has a good reason for doing so. In all my years, I've learned that he can be trusted, no matter what the reason for his actions. So you don't have anything to fear, my lord."

"Link." He quickly corrected her.

"I beg your pardon," Alya asked as she and Link stopped walking

"My name's Link. And I'm not exactly a lord either."

"Then what are you?"

"I'm just a farm-hand who got dragged into an adventure i wasn't expecting.."

"I'm afraid i don't understand, my Lord."

"You can just call me Link, I can try to talk about this at a later time" he responded with a smile. He remembered how overwhelmed he felt when he learned that he was a reincarnation of the goddess's chosen hero, so he preferred to think of himself as simply the boy from Ordon who looked after goats and rode his horse through the woods.

Alya blushed once more, the smile he was giving her was warm and polite, yet retained a real feeling to it. "Very well...Link," she said, giggling as she said his name. To Link, it brought to mind the same way that Ilia laughed when he told her about his status as the Hero of Twilight after he recovered her memory. Thinking of her made Link's smile run sad, which Alya noticed. "Is something wrong," she wondered, genuinely concerned, since he seemed to be in such a light hearted mood just before.

"It's nothing," Link said concisely, "Just old memories."

Alya was not entirely convinced by his explanation. She considered herself to be well versed in the feelings of others, and knew that something was hidden behind his words. "Do you want to talk about it later," she asked him.

Link briefly thought over her answer. Granted that she was a stranger, but she did sound like she was genuinely concerned. "Sure, maybe later when we have the time." His answer put a smile back on Alya's face as she resumed leading him to the gardens.

"After your breakfast with Elrond, time permitting," she said as she led Link away with a gentle pull on his arm. Their walk took them to a part of the city that Link hadn't yet seen, and it appeared to be more of an open, outdoor area where gatherings of some sort occurred. Past that was what Link figured must have been the gardens. Their walk led them down a pathway that passed through what seemed to be a tunnel of flowers and greenery the likes of which Link had never seen before. Their walk ended at a lattice wall that was covered in all manner of flowers, ivy and vines. Breaking the greenery was a pair elegantly carved double doors, which Alya motioned to.

"Lord Elrond awaits you… Link." Alya said as she gently opened the door for him. As Link walked in with Alya close behind him, he became more awed by his surroundings. Inside, an even greater variety of flora awaited him, all varieties of flowers, bushes, and even trees were to be seen here. Ferns hung in pots from the branches of a few of the trees, their feathery strands curling past the edges of the pots they were in. A large, beautifully crafted wooden platform sat in the center of the greenest grass Link had seen, with a large ash table set in the middle of it. Polished chairs surrounded the table, each, from the looks of it, hand carved with fine details. Sitting in one of these chairs was Elrond himself, lightly sipping tea from a white cup.

"Ah, quel amrun (good morning), Ara-Draug," Elrond said to Link, who took the saying as a greeting.

"He prefers to be called 'Link, my lord,'" Alya corrected Elrond, earning a grateful smile and a glance from Link.

"Is that so," Elrond inquired. He then motioned to the chair placed across from him, "Please, have a seat. Breakfast will be ready shortly." He took another sip of his morning tea. "Would you like some tea?" Not wanting to be rude, Link obliged and accepted the offer as he sat down, careful not to ruin his new clothes. Elrond then turned his attention to Alya. "Would you be so kind to get Link his tea?"

"Yes, my lord," Alya said with a small bow to Elrond and walked over to a kettle that was set on what looked like a kind of bollard. A closer look showed that the top of it was made of metal, and likely very hot, judging by the way the kettle was steaming. She picked up a cup that was nearby and set it in front of Link before she filled it for him.

Alya stepped to Elrond's side when she was finished. The way that she was waiting on them both inferred to Link that she was some kind of servant. "Thank you, Alya. You are dismissed," Elrond gently stated, getting a small bow from Alya. The girl left with one last look behind her, curious as to what may happen.

Link saw it was the same kind of curiosity that Aravel had last night. He wondered what the significance of their discussion was if they had to do it in private. Maybe it had something to do with being the Ara-Draug. This would be a good chance to trade information with him, since he had many questions to ask. He began with a simple curiosity that had been gnawing at his mind since last night. "This may sound a bit odd, but what does 'Ara-Draug' mean," he asked Elrond.

"In the common tongue, it means 'Wolf Lord.'" Elrond informed, "As I've explained last night, the Wolf Lord is an important figure in elvish lore." The elf lord lightly sipped his tea once more, and noticed Link's slightly confused face, as though he wanted to ask something. "My apologies, I did not consider that you were a stranger among us. Would you like to know exactly why he is so important."

Link said nothing, but answered with a nod, prompting Elrond to explain, "Do you remember when I briefly spoke to you about the battle of Mount Doom?"

"I remember how you said the Ara-Draug was a major part of the battle, but you were kinda vague on how he truly was special in that battle," Link said to Elrond. Link asked more out of curiosity about how he was supposed to be connected to this hero than anything else. He realized that he may have seemed too forward asking that question, and hoped that it didn't seem like he was intending disrespect.

It was not so. Though he said nothing, Elrond knew why he was asking, and decided that Link had a right to know about the full legend of the Ara-Draug.

"If you feel so inclined to know, then I shall give you the story right from the beginning," Elrond said, noticing how Link edged slightly closer before he began.

"You may remember how I said that the Ara-Draug lived on in many lifetimes, defending the light against the darkness. Long before Sauron was a threat to Middle-Earth, there were other evils that lurked in the far corners of the land. Whenever one reared it's head, the Ara-Draug was called upon to suppress it's malice."

Link felt like he could relate to that ordeal. He himself came from a long line of reincarnated heroes, and just like all of them before him, he was called upon to defeat an all powerful evil. But he couldn't go on musing like this, as it distracted him from listening to Elrond's story.

"He was known throughout the land as a hero, but there came the time when he was placed into legend."

**Flashback: The fight for Mount Doom**

**Elrond narrating**

Legions of Men and my brethren marched upon the slopes of Mount Doom. And from the distance as we approached, you could see the sea of vile creatures ready to defend their dark lord's horrid mountain.

We halted our advance at just outside their archers range, where the King of Gondor ordered his archers to fire upon the lurking orcs on the mountain side. Many arrow's fell on our enemies and slayed the perched archers, while the rest of our armies made a defensive line to hold back the tide of advancing orcs.

As the horde of orcs approached, I ordered my brethren to hold the line and archers to fire on the advancing wave of orcs. The wave of orcs hit the front line, and my soldiers flashed their steel, spilling the foul blood of the enemy. After the initial first strike of my soldiers, I ordered them to to charge and began to follow them into the field of battle. An orc came at me from my side, hoping to kill me in one fell swoop. A foolish endeavor on his part, for as soon as he swung, I parried it and then liberated it's head from the rest of the body without even shifting my stance.

I and my soldiers continued to wreak havoc on their ranks, but as skilled as we were, we were still vastly outnumbered. I was forced to stand back to back with my lieutenant while cutting down enemies And then it happened.

As the sun went down, and twilight settled on the battlefield, a loud war cry was heard from the distance and when both sides stopped and looked to the distance, a figure appeared in our midst. It was the Ara-Draug, astride a red horse, sword raised, ready to strike down whoever crossed his path.

When he entered the fray, he stood upon his mount's saddle, and the unimaginable happened: his sword in his hand, he gets on top of his horse and leaps into the fray of vile beasts.

It was after he dismounted that he turned the tide of our battle. He ran across the field, slaying many foul beasts with the vast array of weaponry at this disposal, thinning their numbers and boosting our morale. His ferocity put the fear of elendil into the orcs as he continued to push them back. But he was not done yet.

He was confronted by two of the dark lord's lieutenants, chosen for their cruel natures and battle prowess. Nobody would ever have dreamed the Ara-Draug would stand a chance against them. Our doubts were only deepened when he sheathed his weapon. That was when I saw the mask.

Looking at the thing, I knew it was as dangerous and terrible as Sauron's ring of power. But the Ara-Draug's resolve was made. As his opponent's lunged, he put the mask on, and the force that followed blew away those who were near. Looking back to him, we saw that his form had changed, and his weapon had become more… vile. It felt like a great evil was present within the spirit of the blade, something possessing it..

He was no longer the hero we knew. He had become a beast of the battlefield, and laid waste to entire hordes of enemy troops. Orc after orc fell before him, creating a river of blood that purified the already unholy battleground. After so much mad slaughter, the tide of the battle turned in our favor, but his madness turned on us when we weren't expecting it. I was able to hold him until he started to succumb to his grievous wounds.

That is where the story ends at a point I'm sure you remember.

**End Flashback**

Link leaned back in his chair after he heard this story he had just been told. "That's one hell of a story," Link said as he looked pensively at his tea. Whether he was related to the Ara-Draug or not, it still boggled his mind on how it affected his thoughts on who he was and where he may come from.

"You don't need to put so much thought into it, Link," Elrond assured him, snapping the boy out of his thoughts. "Now that we enjoyed our tea, I would very much like to take our pleasantries to the training grounds."

"For what," Link asked.

"To cross swords for a morning warm-up." Elrond said with a small smile.

**A/N WHAT?! A Spar with Elrond! Booyah! That is something i'm already working on right now! I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Don't forget to Review please! I would love to hear your feedback.**

**En Taro Adun!**


	5. Chapter 5

**YAY! Chapter 5 is here! I've done some thinking and decided that i am now looking for a beta reader. I need help catching thing i feel like i'm missing in this story. If your interested please PM me OK? Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5: A Morning Spar**

Link was slightly shocked to hear that his host so suddenly wanted to fight him, and his feelings were not limited to him. Alya, who had come back with the breakfast she had prepared nearly dropped the platter she held when she heard the proposition.

"This is madness," she thought to herself, "The Lord has just offered to spar with the reincarnation of a legendary hero, who has more than once turned the tide of the fate of Middle-Earth." It was exhilarating for her to think that the Elf Lord and the Ara-Draug, both figures that she looked up to since she was a child, were going to battle before her eyes. There was no way she was going to miss this for anything.

After only a fraction of a second of pondering the offer, Link's eyes glinted with a renewed fervor, "Of course, Lord Elrond. I can't turn down your offer after you've been such an accommodating host." Though his answer was reserved and polite, inside he was excited about the chance to fight against a skilled opponent who wasn't simply a raging beast, or a psychotic madman. He wanted to test his skills against an opponent who was as skilled, intelligent and collected as himself, even if his opponent had centuries of seniority on him.

With a small smile, Elrond scooted back in his chair and stood up to leave. "I will prepare a training field for us to use," he informed as he towered over Link, making the boy feel more excited about the aspect of fighting him, "Alya will take you back into your room, so that you may change into more combat-appropriate attire. I don't think you'd want to ruin the clothes that Aravel worked so hard to make." And Elrond disappeared out the doors.

"Aravel made these," Link thought to himself as he looked over the clothes he had on. Not only were they lovingly and skillfully crafted, but they were made over the course of a single night. "She does good work," he said aloud.

"Aravel has always had a gift for craftwork, be it tailoring, jewelry, and even working with leather," Alya informed, touting her friends skills. She admitted that sometimes she felt a touch of jealousy for her skills, while she was an attendant to Elrond, but Aravel was always quick to assure her that she had skills of her own that simply didn't show as much. Whatever that meant, Alya knew she was right, as she had often found herself pleasing others with simple small talk that most would find dull and uninteresting, or lifting emotional weights from others. Now it was time to put that skill to work on Link for his forthcoming duel. "I feel like I should tell you that you shouldn't feel nervous about facing Lord Elrond. I'm sure he would go easy on you in your match."

"It's nice of you to worry, but I'm actually looking forward to him not holding back," Link answered as he stood up and allowed Alya to escort him back to his room.

"If you didn't look so battle-worn, I'd say that was hubris speaking," said Alya as she opened the doors for Link to exit, shortly followed by herself. She remembered how she felt earlier that day when she saw Link without his shirt on. He was fit and muscular, which almost made her swoon, if not for her desire to keep a professional demeanor. But the scars that marred his body were a wonder to her. She had known plenty of warriors who had seen countless battles, and even they didn't come out as cut up as Link was. He had been through something horrible, and she knew it. Curiosity gnawed at her mind, prompting her to ask him, "What was it exactly that gave you those scars?"

"Well, you can imagine that I've seen many battles," Link answered, getting a small nod from Alya, "A lot of them have been against opponents larger than me, and a few have been against towering monsters who were many times my size." This response got a wide-eyed stare from his escort, "If you'd like, I could give you a short summary of the battle." After another nod, Link began his story, beginning when he entered Arbiter's Grounds.

As they walked back to his room, Link gave a short, yet detailed story about his battle through the abandoned prison. He left out the parts about the Mirror of Twilight and about the fact he was in Hyrule, but other than that, the story was accurate. And all throughout, Alya was captivated by his recollection of the adventure. Link finished his tale, just as they stopped in front of his door.

"So, that deep scar across your abdominals: the beast called Stallord is responsible for it," she asked, remembering the particularly nasty scar on his torso, and associating it to the size of the monster he faced.

"No, that was from a different monster," he corrected her, and not telling her how it was given to him by Argorok. He knew that if he did, he would have to tell her that story as well, "Stallord only left a surprisingly small wound, considering how big and sharp it's claws were."

"I'm sure that one has a fascinating story as well," Alya said, making Link worry that he would have to tell her how he got it anyway, "But it will have to be for another time. We've arrived at your room, and Lord Elrond is expecting you. So I'll allow you to change posthaste."

They said their farewells, and Link stepped into his room to see a welcoming sight. On his bed, he found his clothes folded neatly on his bed, and all of his gear was laid out in an organized fashion so that it all fit, and was aesthetically pleasing, a testament to the skill of whoever kept his living quarters in order. He was about to put his clothes on, when he noticed that outside his window, the pedestrians who were walking by had a clear view of him. Though they didn't seem to mind him, as they didn't even bother to look in his direction, he still closed the window and drew the curtains shut so that he could change his clothes in private.

After he was finished changing, he quickly left his room, nearly brimming with excitement for the battle that was shortly at hand. As soon as he left, he saw Alya waiting for him on a bench, but something was different about her. She seemed to be alert since he met her, but now she was staring out into the distance and acted like she hadn't noticed Link, almost as if she was deep in some thought.

What was running through Alya's mind at the time was the story of how he had gotten those scars. If he was prone to such injuries, then how would he fare against someone as skilled as Elrond? It was only a sparring match, but the thought of him being cut by Elrond's blades brought a small kind of sadness to her mind. She then heard someone clear her throat, and perked up to see Link awaiting her guidance to the training grounds. With a small apology for her absent mindedness, she escorted Link through the marbled halls to the sparring arena.

Once they arrive, Alya opened the door for Link as she had done before, and led him to the indoor training room. After a quick scan of the room, Link found it to be jarringly different from the serenity of the garden he was just in. The walls of the entire room were lined with racks that held all manner of weapons that Link could imagine. Swords, shields, spears, axes, daggers, knives, bows, staves, clubs, and everything else he could think to name. If he thought it was missing from the rack, he was quickly proven wrong as his eyes followed the wall of weapons.

In the middle of the large, empty area where the soldiers were meant to spar, knelt Elrond, still in the robes he was wearing. Strangely, he was unarmed for combat, and seemed to not notice anyone had arrived. "Wish me luck," Link said to Alya, who quickly left the room in an excited rush to retrieve her friend.

Link approached Elrond, who simply sat as if meditating even though Link was a few yards in front of him. Before he could say anything, Elrond stood up and stared Link down with a hardened gaze that sent a rush of excitement through him. Calmly, Elrond walked over to one of the weapon racks, and took off a pair of long, elegantly bladed daggers, then took his stance across from Link. Meanwhile, Link did the same with his sword and shield at the ready. "Come at me, as if you mean to kill me," Elrond said simply, "Have no fear: you won't." And with that, the fight was on.

Taking the hint, Link quickly made his first attack with a strong side swing, which was met with a parry by one of Elrond's daggers. Link stopped a moment, swearing that Elrond didn't even move his arm when he blocked. "You have power, and control," Elrond noted, "Impressive, considering that such a thing is lost on most warriors these days." Link followed up with a thrust, which was blocked by the other dagger, while the first one was thrust so that the point would pierce his temple.

It was easily blocked by Link's shield, leaving Link's torso open to attack. Before Elrond's kick could impact his chest, Link deftly somersaulted backwards to a safe distance. When he landed, he halted Elrond's charging advance by holding his sword at arm's length and circling to his side. But such a trick wasn't going to work on someone who had been fighting for hundreds of years.

Elrond weaved his body around his opponent's blade, and thrust both daggers, one at Link's face, and the other at his heart. Both were blocked by Link's shield, which was then kicked, making him fall backwards into a roll. As soon as he was on his feet in a crouching position, Link stayed behind his shield as one of the daggers was thrown at him.

His opponent had disarmed himself of one of his daggers, and now if he was to be on the offensive, Link had to get rid of the other one. Quickly sheathing his sword, Link pulled out his clawshot and snatched the other dagger out of Elrond's hand. To keep him on his toes, Link equipped his other clawshot and shot it toward his opponent's head.

With a fluid step, Elrond dodged the weapon as it's clawed appendage snagged a spear off one of the weapon racks. When the chain was retracted, Elrond took the spear as it flew past him. The first clawshot with the dagger in it's grip shot towards him, and without a single thought, the elf lord grabbed a shield off a rack and deflected the attack.

Using the range to his advantage, Link continued to swing the dagger-wielding clawshot at Elrond, while he used the other one to pull a sword off a rack. Link kept of his ranged offensive, shooting and retracting his clawshots in tandem with one another.

Elrond blocked each blow that came his way with either weapon he held. Some came dangerously close to actually cutting him, but he was formulating a plan to stop the attack. When one clawshot came at him, he caught the chain with his spear. It was soon followed by the other clawshot, which he caught by it's chain as well. With a spin of his spear, he tangled both chains as they were retracting. Once the length of each chain reached the point where they intertwined, the clawshot's stopped retracting, rendering them useless.

Now that he was back on the high ground, Elrond resumed his offensive by thrusting his spear, followed by a thrust of the shield. After both were dodged, Elrond swung his spear in a wide arc, making Link duck. As soon as he did, Elrond swung his shield so that the edge would impact the side of Link's head.

Remembering his sumo training with Bo, Link charged forward and grappled Elrond, pushing him back to a safe distance. When he released his grip, Link backpedalled as he drew his bow and a handful of arrows, which he shot one after the other towards Elrond. It seemed Elrond was even more skilled than he thought, for even though Link was at point blank range, his opponent was still able to easily dodge each arrow with only a small step or a sway of his upper body.

As soon as Link ran out of arrows, and was reaching for more, Elrond closed the distance and swung his spear again, making Link dodge to the side with a swift roll under the weapon. He then put away his bow in favor of his sword and shield. The two traded blow after blow, each one parried by the other as their fight took them closer to the weapon-lined walls.

Link's back was to the wall, which was not favorable to him. He needed an opening to escape, but he was being given none. Since that was the case, he would just have to make one for himself. He began by hooking his foot on a loose weapon rack, which he swung between himself and Elrond. Now that there was room between them, Link swung his sword downward and missed his opponent, who dodged to the side and thrust his spear between the weapons on the rack.

Link was almost caught off guard when the spearhead appeared between the lines of the weapon rack, and only scratched his cheek as he dodged to the side. After he evaded the attack, he swung his sword down and broke the spearhead off. After it had been taken care of, he drew the gale boomerang, and threw it around the rack so that it arced around to Elrond.

Elrond released his broken spear and shifted to the side so that the boomerang passed by him. His shift of position put him closer to the other side of the rack, where Link tried to ambush him. It was only Elrond's lightning fast hands that allowed him to move the weapon rack between himself and his opponent. After the fact, he took a two handed sword from the rack to keep up his assault.

The rack turned, and revealed Link, and in a motion that to Link looked almost too fast, he brought the sword down hard.

Link knew the sword was too large to block, so he opted to dodge instead. After he swung his sword at Elrond, only to have it blocked again, he jumped high over the elf lord's head and executed a helm splitter technique. Again, he was blocked by Elrond's sword, which messed up his landing, forcing him into a roll when he hit the ground.

When he turned to face his opponent, he saw a knife flying through the air toward him. He blocked it away with a swat of his shield, only to see Elrond take another knife off of a rack and throw it, which was blocked as well.

The knives gave him range, and the sword was devastating up close. Luckily, Link had something with range and weight. Before Elrond could grab another knife to throw, Link heaved his ball and chain across the distance and almost made Elrond lose his footing when he dodged it.

The initial surprise of the new weapon passed, and Elrond quickly came up with a plan as he dodged the next swing. As the massive weapon came at him again, Elrond took a dagger from another weapon rack and threw it at Link's hands as he was retracting his weapon.

Link perceived the oncoming dagger, and shifted his stance for the dagger to miss him. Once it had, Elrond closed the distance with his sword ready to strike again. Before he could swing, Link quickly wrapped the chain he held around Elrond's wrists and prevented his attack. He then started swinging the weighted end around, trying to hit Elrond once more.

Elrond crouched under each swing of the weapon. After it passed over his head a final time, he grabbed the chain that bound him and pulled it hard. Link was taken off his feet, and was brought rolling to Elrond's. When he stopped, Elrond thrust his sword downward to impale Link to the ground.

In an insanely desperate move, Link clapped his hands over the flat of the blade, which stopped the sword short of his chest. With all his might, he pushed the sword upward so that the pommel almost hit Elrond's chin. He rolled to his feet and drew his sword and shield again before he charged in for another flurry of attacks.

After trading several blows, Elrond reached out an arm and grappled Link clinching him against his own body. With his other hand, he drew a dagger that Link guessed he collected earlier.

Link knew that it would be the end of him if he didn't do something. Thinking quickly, he reached onto his belt and pulled out his whistle. He meant to pull out a bomb, and scare Elrond into backing away, but he went with what he was dealt. He turned his head, and blew hard into the whistle, creating a shrill, loud note that disoriented the elf lord and made him loosen his grip on Link.

Elrond felt Link slip out of his grasp, and readied himself for another attack, even though one of his ears was ringing loudly. He was barely able to dodge a dagger that Link threw at him, but was still able to catch it mid-air. He then threw the dagger at a nearby weapon rack, which destroyed one of the supports and sent the weapons clattering to the ground. He picked up a pair of shortswords and resumed the fight.

The lighter weight of his opponent's weapons granted him greater speed, but Link was able to hold his own against him. As long as he didn't teleport behind him, it would be no problem.

By this time, Link was beginning to feel run down and fatigued, but not Elrond. No, the elf lord was barely sweating. It made Link think that he may have been out of his own league if he were fighting for real, instead of a friendly sparring match.

Link fully realized that he was being tested, and decided that now it was time to get serious. With a sword in hand, and a shield on his arm, he was ready to give it his all. Across the way, Elrond awaited Link to take action, which the boy willingly obliged.

When he saw Link charging, Elrond didn't bother taking a fighting stance until Link was upon him. The two traded more attacks, creating a shower of sparks under the power of their clashing metal. Elrond advanced with a series of rapid thrusts that pushed Link back until he charged forward with his shield.

The advance had been broken, and Link thrust his sword at Elrond, stopping short of stabbing him in the face. When he looked down, he could see one of Elrond's swords was stopped right in front of his stomach.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say we're at an impasse," Link huffed as he locked his eyes with Elrond.

"An impasse would imply that there is no way to escape our circumstances," Elrond calmly answered as he sent his own death stare back to Link

"You mean there's a way to end this?"

"Indeed. All you have to do is surrender."

"I can't do that," Link said as he swore he could feel Elrond's blade shift ever so slightly closer to him, "That would mean I give up."

"Ah, the hubris of men," Elrond chuckled, "It astounds me how your gravest flaw is also your greatest strength."

"True, it's our source of power. But it's not enough." Even though he said nothing, Link could tell that Elrond desired an answer. "It takes courage to use it, and wisdom to know when to stop."

A smile crept across Elrond's face as he got the message. Elrond prided himself on his wisdom, and took the boy's advice. He backed away and lowered his weapons, while Link sheathed his own. "You must think you're very clever for making me give up first. But know this: I had been holding back the entire fight."

That much was clear to Link. He had fought plenty of opponents who were more powerful than himself, and it was easy to tell when they were holding back. Against an enemy, they went all out, but against a friend, they intentionally allowed their opponent to keep their weapon, or even get close. During the whole fight, Link could tell that he was only doing as well as he was because Elrond let him.

"That was amazing!"

After she left, Alya went to retrieve Aravel, and the two watched the fight unfold before them. They were soon joined by more elves who wanted to see the Ara-Draug battle their lord, until an entire crowd formed to watch the battle. It was only now that Link and Elrond became aware of them.

The crowd applauded the spectacle, and Link couldn't help but take in their adulation. He always worked alone, and far from any civilization. He knew he was doing good for the world, but nobody could really appreciate how hard he worked, and how close he brushed with death and failure every minute.

The mere fact that he had applause meant that he had performed well, even though the match was a draw. It meant that even here in this strange place, his skills as a swordsman and adventurer could be put to good use. Even so, he had to better himself if he was to win against opponents like Elrond.

When Link shifted his gaze to the side, he could see the way Elrond looked at him, and knew that he didn't appreciate the way he was absorbing their praise and letting it go to his head. He felt a twinge of embarrassment as he remembered what he learned with Rusl, and how hubris would only lead to trouble.

The crowd paid their respects to his skill and techniques, having never seen anything like the style he used. At the front of the crowd, Alya and Aravel were replaying the fight in their heads, and nearly passed out from sheer excitement. It would have carried on, if not for Elrond loudly clearing his throat. Despite, the simple, commonplace noise, it had an air of power to it when it came from him.

"Link," Elrond began, "You possess great skill, and a fierce determination that is uncommon in most. However, this is not enough to face what is to come." Link didn't know what he meant, but before he had time to ask, Elrond continued. "You will need to surpass your own limits, and discover your untouched potential. In that case, it would be wise for you to train under my tutelage."

"When do we start," Link said without any hesitation. After seeing what a skilled fighter Elrond was, he would have to have been some kind of fool to decline the offer.

"As soon as you're ready," Elrond answered.

As eager as he was, before Link could give the word to begin, his stomach growled loudly as a gnawing pain rumbled in his stomach. "Maybe after I've had something to eat," he said, suddenly remembering that he didn't actually have any breakfast with Elrond, and only drank tea.

Alya was on it immediately. She quickly went to his side and escorted him away from the area. "Please, make way. The Ara-Draug needs his rest," she politely requested of the crowd. To Link, it felt strange to be treated like he was a celebrity of some kind, but he did agree with her that a rest would be nice.

"Alya," Elrond called after her, making her stop dead in her tracks and remember that she was Elrond's handmaiden, and not Link's. "See to it he's well taken care of."

"Yes, lord," she answered, and hurried Link away.

Aravel saw them leave, and wasn't about to be left out of spending time with the legend she admired so. After seeing him hold his own against Elrond, she had many questions to ask him, such as where he learned to fight, what enemies he faced, and if he could show her some of his moves. That, and she couldn't allow Alya to learn about him before her.

"Now that we have time, we can go back to your room, and have that talk you promised over breakfast," she heard Alya say to Link. A private talk over breakfast? Not without her.

"A salad would suit me," Aravel said as she stepped next to Link, surprising him and Alya.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think Link would want other intruding," Alya said. Normally, she would have gladly allowed her friend to join them, but not where Link was concerned.

"I wouldn't mind if she joined us. It'll be nice that more people know my story," Link answered. That stuck a dagger in Alya. She and Aravel both sent each other a friendly glare as they each latched onto one of his arms. "This isn't going to be easy," Link thought to himself.

**Cat-fight already? Anyways please dont forget to review! I really want to hear your thoughts on my story so far!**

**En Taro Adun!**


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